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2 Sheets-Sheet N. R-. ALLEN. DEVICE FOR FILLING SURGICAL BANDAGES, 8Z0.

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UNITED STATES PATENT IQFFICE NELSON R. ALLEN, OF BRIDGEPO RT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO DE WITT C. HALL, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

DEVICE FOR FILLlNG SURGICALBANDAGES, 84,0.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 462,974, dated November 10, 1891.

Application filed April 9, 1891. Serial No. 388,233. (No model.)

, T at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NELsoN R. ALLEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Filling Gatamenial Sacks and other Articles; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art -to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to filling devices for that class of articles ordinarily known as sanitary towels '-that is, articles adapted for general surgical and therapeutic usesbut more especially for use by ladies as protectors for under-clothing, bed-clothing, &c., the object being to produce an inexpensive means for readily introducing the filling into such articles, so that the latter will be smooth and even and may be Worn without the slightest inconvenience.

With these ends in view my invention consists in the novel device for filling an absorptive pad or sanitary towel, which I will now describe.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure l is a perspective of the arm and holder in which the material to form the pad is laid, the material from which the pad is formed being in place ready for the-drawing on of the knitted case; Fig. 2, a side elevation, showing in dotted lines the knitted case drawn over the holder and arm and the manner in which the completed pad is removed therefrom; Fig. 3, a perspective of the pad as removed from the arm and holder; Fig. 4:, a longitudinal section showing the two layers of absorbent and non-absorbent material of which the pad. is composed; and Fig. 5 is a perspective, on an enlarged scale, of the completed pad with the connections for attachment to a belt.

I am aware that wipers have been made consisting of waste, rags, &c., and also that sanitary towels have been made consisting of a sliver of absorbent cotton inclosed within a braided seamless fabric. It is found in use, however, that a braided fabric is much less comfortable to wear than a soft knitted fab ric, and also that pads composed of absorbent material are more expensive and very'in'uch less desirable than pads composed of an inner layer of absorbent material and an outer 5 5 layer of non-absorbent material. Such a fill ing is, however, difficultto introduce smoothly 7 into a narrow elastic tube.

My present invention enables me to produce a pad in which the cost of production both in material and labor is reduced to the minimum and the objectionable features of other articles of this class are wholly done away with.

1 denotes an arm adapted for attachment to a bench or in any convenient position for use. Upon the outer end of this arm is placed a holder 2, ordinarily made of sheet metal, said holder being open at the ends and closed at the bottom and sides, and partially closed at the top, leaving, however, sufficient space at the top for convenient insertion of the material of which the pad is composed. The pad consists of a bottom layer 3 of a non-absorbent material, preferably in practice ordinary cotton-batting, which in use becomes the outer layer of the pad, and an upper layer 4: consisting of absorbent material, ordinarily common absorbent cotton, which in practice becomes the inner layert'. a, the portion of the pad placed in contact with the person.

5 denotes a knitted tubular casing, which is made in long lengths, and in use ispreferably unwound from a roll, although the manner in which the casing is furnished to the holder forms no portion of my present invention. The bottom and upper layers are placed in position in the holder and then the casing is drawn on over the holder and the arm. The casing in practice is very elastic, being kinit- 9o ted loosely from soft fine yarn, so that it will stretch on over the holder readily. At both ends of the holder are preferably placed rings 6, over which the casing is drawn and which prevent it from catching the material in the 5 holder and drawing it forward. Having drawn the casing over the holder and arm as far as may be required to form a suitable attaching-strip 7 at one end of the pad, the easing is severed on the other side at suitable dis- 10o opening through which the holder may be filled With material in layers and through which said material may be engaged to cause its Withdrawal, together with the inclosing tubular fabric, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

NELSON R. ALLEN. Witnesses:

A. M. WoosTER, INA M. NICKERSON. 

